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Book Club: French Artisan Market / Book Discussion + Mingle for John of John - Starting at $15!
Featured Book

John of John
AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK • Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Oprah Daily, and Vogue “Douglas Stuart brilliantly weaved a layered, compelling and yet so intimate a story of identity, what it means to belong, and the courage to claim your own truth.”—Oprah Winfrey “One of 2026's literary triumphs.”—Boston Globe From the Booker Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo comes a vivid, moving novel following a young man returning to his Hebridean island home, a portrait of a father’s expectations and a son’s desires Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry back home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides to find that little has changed except for him. He returns to the windswept croft and the two pillars of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, tweed weaver, and lay preacher in the local Presbyterian church, and his maternal grandmother Ella, a profanity-loving Glaswegian whose steady warmth helped Cal weather the sudden departure of his mother. Cal privately wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, while John is dismayed by his son’s long hair, strange clothes, and seeming unwillingness to be Saved. But Cal isn't the only one in the croft house who is keeping secrets. As lambing season turns to shearing season, the threads holding together the community together become increasingly frayed, and nothing will remain as it was before. John of John is a singular novel about duty, passion, and the transformative power of the truth. It is a magnificent literary work that cements Douglas Stuart's reputation as one of our greatest novelists working today.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Book Club: French Artisan Market / Book Discussion + Mingle - Starting at $15!
Local Readers (GROWN-UPS 21+) - Join us in-person at our NEW New Book Joy Booktique in Brookfield to discuss The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (one of our themed Book Club Experiences featuring books about art & French culture - inspired by Brookfield's NEW French Artisan Market). You're invited to listen in on the curated conversation & participate / ask any questions you have for the group. You’ll get a FREE TAKE-AWAY GIFT + EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS FROM OUR BOOKTIQUE!
Pick up a physical copy of the book from the dropdown menu on the sign-up page, decide to download an audiobook from the link on the sign-up page before the event, OR join us for the discussion before you dive into the book - your choice!
NOTE: PRE-READING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, since we will be diving deep into the book during our discussion and there may be some spoilers.
About the Venue

New Book Joy - Brookfield
NEW BOOK JOY brings inspirational books, reading resources and interactive activities to children and adults of ALL AGES.
Visit store pageMore at New Book Joy - Brookfield

Explore Riverside: Walking History Tour with Book Chat
Local Readers + History Lovers (GROWN-UPS 21+) - Join us in-person at the Metra Train Station in Riverside, then set off to enjoy a Bookish Walking History Tour (led by bookstore owner Mandy Genge and local history teacher Jennie Crownson, who will share book recommendations and historical snippets inspired by Riverside's past and present). Attendees are invited for an after-walk Mix + Mingle at Vinette: The Little Wine Shop in Riverside's Metra Train Station from 7-8 pm where they can hear even more stories and enjoy optional sips from a local woman-owned small business. You’ll get a FREE TAKE-AWAY GIFT + EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS FROM OUR BOOKTIQUE!

Teen Book Swap: Mix and Mingle for High Schoolers
Young Readers (HIGH SCHOOLERS) - Join us in-person at our NEW New Book Joy Booktique in Brookfield for a Teen Book Swap Mix + Mingle! Bring your own new or gently used book to swap with any other books that are brought to this event (or any extra titles that we have available for the swap). Don't worry, you'll get to browse all the books and chat with local book lovers about their titles before swapping... Stick around to shop after you swap & GET AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT too!

Blind Date with a Book Book Club
NOTE: EACH $45 TICKET PURCHASED ABOVE INCLUDES A PHYSICAL COPY OF THE BOOK + A SPECIAL TREAT FROM OUR BOOKTIQUE UPON PICKUP/DELIVERY, BOOK DISCUSSION & VIRTUAL COUPON FOR SHOPPING. Local Readers (GROWN-UPS 21+) - Join us in-person at our NEW New Book Joy Booktique in Brookfield to discuss our Blind Date with a Book choice. You're invited to listen in on the curated conversation & participate / ask any questions you have for the group. YOU'LL GET A PHYSICAL COPY OF THE BOOK + SURPRISE THEMED READING PAIRING UPON ORDER PICKUP/DELIVERY, PLUS EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS FROM OUR BOOKTIQUE TOO! BOOK TITLE WILL BE REVEALED UPON ORDER PICKUP / DELIVERY. (If you would like to guess - or ask - the monthly title after reading our book description below, please email newbookjoybf@gmail.com before ordering your ticket + book! If you have already read or are currently reading the book want to participate in the book club without receiving an additional copy of the book, we can invoice you for the ticket only.)